Saint Hripsime Church

St.Hripsime church (618) was built on the site where Saint Hripsime and 32 nun that came with her to Armenia to spread Christianity were killed. According to an Armenian historian Agatangeghos, in 301, with the initiative of Grigor Lusavoritch and under his leadership, king Tiridates G the Great, his sister Khosrovadukht and queen Ashkhen built a chapel on this site. It was a half-underground built sepulchre covered with a canopy.
In 395, after destructions done by a Persian king Shapuh, catholicos Sahak A Partev reconstructed St.Hripsime's chapel, and in 618 catholicos Komitas A Aghceci, who was himself an architect, built St.Hripsime's church atop of the chapel.
Later more buildings were added including brick walls, circular pyramids, a belfry and two story building of the congregation.
Together with the Holy See of Echmiatsin, St.Gayane and Shoghakat churches, and ruins of Zvartnots, St.Hripsime is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fragments of a decorated cornice of the Hellenistic temple were found during the restorations, hidden under the pilasters. They prove that once a pagan temple was standing here before.
Pre- and early Christian burials and a single nave church from the early middle ages were discovered here.
Under the main altar is the vaulted sepulchre of St.Hripsime where saint's remains are kept to the date.
Hripsime's nuns led a monasterial life in Rome under the leadership of their abbess, Gayane. To escape from the emperor Diocletian's tortures they fled to Armenia, finding a refuge in Vagharshapat, in an area called Hndzanq.
According to the tradition, the reason for their persecution was that the most beautiful nun, Hripsime, refused to be the wife of the emperor Diocletian. The Emperor sent news to the Armenian king Tiridates G the Great that he should find the nuns that settled down in Armenia and return them to Rome. However, he could also marry Hripsime if he wanted to. Finding the nuns and seeing Hripsime's beauty, king Tiridates also decided to marry the nun.
Hripsime also rejected the Armenian king who then tortured Hripsime, blinded and cut her tongue, quartered and burnt.
All 32 witnesses were killed with a sword. The bodies of the nuns remained unburied for 9 days until Grigor A Lusavorich came out of Khor Virap and laid their bodies where they were killed – Hripsime together with her followers and Gayane nuns separately. One of the nuns had to stay alone in Hndzanq because of her sickness. Grigor Lusavorich laid her remains in Hndzanq where St.Shoghakat monastery was erected.

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